I am walking in memory of
Leroy Dale Brown, Cochise County Sheriff’s Department, Arizona. On December 6,
1969, in Bowie, Arizona, Deputy Brown was shot and killed by a man he had
arrested several months earlier. Deputy Brown was in a restaurant eating when
the man saw him and entered the establishment. The suspect ordered a hot cup of
coffee and then approached Deputy Brown. The suspect threw the coffee into
Deputy Brown’s face, and as Deputy Brown stood up, the suspect shot him twice.
The suspect then fled to a nearby school and committed suicide. Deputy Leroy
Brown was survived by his wife, two sons, parents, one brother and four
sisters.

Please join me in honoring
Leroy Dale Brown by sponsoring me as I take part once again on a two-day
25-mile walk to raise money for Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.). Money
raised will help ensure that C.O.P.S. will continue to be around for the
families of the fallen officers for many years to come. Having attended
National Police Week 2009, the 40th anniversary of Leroy’s death, I know
firsthand the impact the C.O.P.S. organization has on the families. Thank you
so very much for your support!

There are several groups that honor and assist those
killed in the line of duty and those left behind after such a tragedy. I have provided links to some I am familiar
with below. I have more than a little
respect and admiration for those in this profession. Their duties are of such that many would
choose to avoid.

I have many friends that choose to enter in harm’s
way and I respect them greatly.
Somewhere along the way I started collecting patches from those I know
and from areas where I have lived. The
photos here are from that collectionI have one other interest in this blog
entry. I wish to remember all those that
gave their lives in the defense of what they believed in. This, of course, includes my own Father:

Leroy Dale Brown

Cochise County Sheriff Deputy, AZ

End of Watch: December 6, 1969

Thank you to all of those in the Law Enforcement
community for your service and sacrifice.
It takes a special person to do what you do on a daily basis and I am
glad you are out there. You are in my
thoughts and prayers as are your families.

According
to preliminary data compiled by the National Law Enforcement Officers
Memorial Fund, 127 law enforcement officers have died in 2012, marking a 23
percent decline in fatalities from just a year before, when 165 officers
died.

Traffic-related
fatalities were once again the leading cause of officer fatalities, with 50
officers killed in 2012. Thirty were killed in automobile crashes, 14 were
struck and killed, and six officers were killed in motorcycle crashes.
Overall, traffic-related fatalities decreased by 17 percent from 60 officers
killed during 2011.

Firearms-related
fatalities follow closely with 49 officers killed, dropping 32 percent
compared to 72 deaths in 2011. Ambush attacks were the leading circumstance
of fatal shootings, with 15 officer fatalities, followed by nine officers
killed feloniously during traffic stops or pursuits. Drug related matters and
robberies in progress each had five fatalities.

“The loss
of any officer is unacceptable and devastating to their family, their
community and our nation. However, I am encouraged to see a significant
decrease in the number of law enforcement officers killed in 2012 after two
years of alarming increases in the number of fatalities,” stated Craig W.
Floyd, the Memorial Fund’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.